[Does bevacizumab have a protective effect on hepatotoxicity induced by chemotherapy?]

Abstract

Although the prognosis of patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM) has improved dramatically with oxaliplatin and irinotecan, the enthusiasm for the preoperative use of these cytotoxic agents is being tempered by concerns about their impact on the nontumoral liver parenchyma. Bevacizumab, an anti-angiogenic agent that specifically targets the vascular endothelial growth factor, exerts an antitumor effect by inhibiting the development of the vascular network that is promoted by the tumor and mandatory for its growth. Yet angiogenesis is also a physiologic event contributing to wound healing and tissue regeneration. To date, it is well documented that the use of bevacizumab in combination with cytotoxic agents greatly improves pathologic response. Also well described is the protective effect of bevacizumab against sinusoidal injuries induced by oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Up to now, no side effects related to the perioperative use of bevacizumab have been reported in the setting of liver resection for CLM, and bevacizumab was shown not to impair liver regeneration following portal vein embolization. The clinical consequences of the protective effect of bevacizumab against sinusoidal injuries are hard to evaluate as patient selection and preparation have improved and these improvements contribute greatly to the favorable outcomes following liver resection for CLM. Indeed, patient safety in the setting of hepatic resection for CLM mainly depends on a careful preoperative evaluation of liver volumes and a limited use of cytotoxic agents followed by a delay of at least 5 weeks before the surgery.